Collision
by InfinityAgent
Summary: Modern AU. Kathryn is running late so gets reckless with her driving. She never meant for anyone to get hit and she certainly never meant to get involved with the consequences.
1. Blind Spot

"The conference starts at 9:00." My coworker reminded me, through the phone I held pressed against my ear. Glancing over at the microwave, I noted that it was almost eight already. Well this was just great; only one hour to get there and prepare the report I was supposed to present at the meeting. Damn. I'd meant to have it done days ago, but work had been hectic. "You're the supervisor, people expect you to clock in on time."

"I'll be there as soon as I can." Before he had a chance to counter, I hung up the phone and ran to grab my shoes and a jacket. It usually took me at least three hours to put these kinds of reports together, god knew how I was going to do it in less than one. I poured the remainder of the morning coffee from the pot into a travel mug and raced out to my car. On most days, I would have cursed at the pedal-heavy drivers swerving madly between lanes, but today I was desperate. It was during one of those risky maneuvers that I felt my car connect with something solid, producing a thump and a muffled scraping noise. Realizing I must have bumped another vehicle, I cursed and pulled over. I didn't have time for this, but it'd be easy enough to collect contact information and then let my insurance deal with the rest. When I stepped out from the driver's seat, I didn't immediately notice a car. I thought maybe they'd just driven away, when I spotted a bicycle lying abandoned on the street.

"Oh my god!" Gasping, I noticed a young woman with a helmet pulling herself unsteadily to her feet. I raced over to her, all thoughts of the meeting momentarily gone. "Are you alright?" I wasn't sure why I was even bothering to ask when the answer was quite clearly a no. Skidding along the road had rubbed some of the skin off her forearms and face and I noticed a few pieces of glass, probably from the road, lodged in her skin. Her helmet had cut through some of the skin on her forehead, producing an ugly wound that was already starting to turn purple.

"I am fine." The blonde coolly replied, brushing away some of the black dust that had settled on her tight cyclist clothing.

"No you're not." I winced as blood began to drip down the side of her face, though the woman seemed not to pay much attention to any of the pain she must be feeling. "I'm so sorry- I'll take you to the hospital!"

"That is not necessary." When her head turned to look at her bike, I noticed the cracks and scratches in the side of the helmet from sliding across the road. If she hadn't been wearing it, she'd probably be dead. I could be in jail for manslaughter… not exactly the way I'd been planning on spending my Christmas vacation. It was the least I could do to help the woman out.

"It's no big deal, it's only a couple of blocks away from here." I insisted, "You might have a concussion or something." The last thing I needed was for her to go home and die of internal bleeding or something and then get sued by the family later.

"I am-" The woman started, but cut herself off when she attempted to take a step forward. Though she didn't scream or cry out, I could tell that the action had pained her. Carefully, she leaned most of her weight on one foot. Hopefully it was just a strain and nothing broken, but I had a feeling that I may as well assume the worst. Turning back to me now, the cyclist tried a different line of argument. "Seeing as how it is your driving that caused this incident, I am not sure it would be wise for me to trust your abilities." I felt my cheeks burn at this one. I'd only ever gotten in one accident before, and that was because I had trouble parking when I was a kid. Most days, I was actually very careful and cautious at the wheel. Just my luck.

"What are you going to do, walk?" I hadn't meant for it to sound so defensive. We stared at each other, almost challenging the other to back down. "You're just going to have to trust me."

"Fine." She finally hissed, not sounding as if she were truly convinced. Neither of us moved for a moment, before I approached her and started to lift one of her arms over my shoulder. She stiffened suddenly and drew back, startled. "What are you doing?" I noticed the way that her fingers tightened around the straps of her backpack, as if she were afraid I was going to rip it from her back. Ignoring this and her efforts of protest, I hooked her arm around my shoulder and allowed her to lean her weight onto my form.

"You have to _get_ to the car first." And I didn't see any crutches lying around. It was true that the woman was taller than me by a good four or five inches, but that actually put my shoulders at a better level for her. She didn't respond, but didn't resist any further as I helped her hobble along. Before we got into my car, I removed any of the glass we could find from her appendages. As I secured the woman inside, I tried not to think about how I'd have to take the car in to the shop to get the dents worked out of the side and to have the blood and dirt removed from the seat. Suppressing these thoughts for the time being, I went back to drag her bike to my vehicle and threw it into the backseat area. It was only after I returned that I realized I'd left my purse and ID badge out and the stranger woman alone with it. Just because she was hurt didn't mean she wasn't capable of getting any ideas. However, my possessions looked undisturbed. If she'd gone through them, she'd done a fine job of it. I was just pulling onto the road when my phone rang. I was tempted not to answer it, but that would just get me into even more trouble. So instead I put it on speaker so that I could drive at the same time.

"Kathryn, where are you? The meeting is in forty-five minutes and Anna from reception says you haven't even come in yet." Though the cyclist was staring out the window, I could tell that she was listening intently, perhaps for more clues about me.

"I've just run into some delays, Chakotay, I'll be there as soon as I can." No, I literally ran into a delay. Obviously it was not my goal to be late, but this was more important than impressing some paper-pushers. If I missed the meeting, so be it. "Is there anything else you needed?" A pause.

"No."

"Well then I'll get there when I get there." Hanging up now, I noticed that the woman was looking at me.

"If it's an inconvenience-"

"I have plenty of time." Far from it, but I didn't need a random stranger worrying about my problems as well. We didn't speak the rest of the way there, which fortunately wasn't far. I helped the woman to get to the emergency room, made sure I left all of my contact information with her so that I would be able to pay for some of the damages, and then quickly scurried back to my car. It was already 8:45 by the time I made it up the elevator to my office, where Chakotay was waiting. I braced myself for him to bite down on me for being so late, but instead he casually greeted me as if it were a normal day at the office.

"I thought you should know, I looked at the wrong day on the calendar." He laughed, "The conference isn't until tomorrow."

"You're kidding me." I knew he was expecting me to be overjoyed, but I was anything but amused. If I hadn't been rushing, the accident never would have happened. All that for nothing. "Alright. Thank you." I shooed him away from the room, shutting the door so I could think. I knew I needed to be working on the report for the conference, but all I could think about was the cyclist. Whether it was guilt or curiosity, I wanted to know how she was doing. Around ten, I decided to give her a call; she'd left her cell number with me back at the hospital.

"Hello?" A quiet, suspicious voice.

"Hi, this is Kathryn Janeway." My confidence suddenly faltered. Why would she want to talk to me? I was the one who'd put her in the damn hospital. She'd probably sue for harassment. I was tempted to hang up, but I couldn't be rude now. There was a silence. "From this morning?"

"Yes?"

"I was just calling to ask… how you were doing?" I knew it sounded stupid as the words left my mouth. The air was quiet for a moment, before I heard something in the background. Voices. I pressed my phone harder to the side of my head, turning up the volume. There were multiple people there, seeming to all be talking almost at once. I couldn't make out most of the words, but I got the feeling that they were unhappy. Probably just the family. Feeling as though I was being intrusive, I hung up and sat back in my chair, trying to focus on work again.

At the end of the day, I wasted little time hurrying to my car. As I was clicking my seatbelt, I noticed a black backpack on the floor in the back. I realized that it was the same one the cyclist had been wearing earlier. In our haste to check her in, she must have forgotten to pick it back up. Sure she'd be wanting it back, I called her to make arrangements. No answer. After a couple more failed attempts, I tried the hospital to find out when she'd been released.

"Ms. Hansen is still in recovery." The person on the other end of the phone informed.

"Really?" Surely her injuries hadn't been that severe. She should have been out of there hours ago. "It was just a minor accident." Hardly minor, but the receptionist didn't need to know that. There was a heavy silence in which I thought that the other party had hung up. I was about to lift the phone away from my ear and try again when the other woman finally said something.

"Are you a family member?"

"A very close friend." A lie, but how would she know?

"Well I suppose it's all public knowledge by now…" Muttering in such a low voice I thought maybe I wasn't supposed to hear that part. "Earlier today, a group of people claiming to be Ms. Hansen's friends attacked her."

"What?" My own voice was hardly above a whisper.

"She's in stable condition now and should be released as soon as we can locate the family." I thanked the receptionist and hung up, feeling a bit numb. Attacked? Why? I made my way back to the hospital now, careful enough that I wouldn't hit any more bicycles. When I got there, however, the staff would not let me in to see the woman. Frustrated, I gave them my name and insisted that they let Ms. Hansen know that I was there. After a short wait, I was finally permitted admittance into the small room where the blonde lie in a bed.

"Hi." I wasn't sure what else to say.

"Kathryn." She didn't smile, not exactly, but her tone indicated that she was glad to see me. "I was hoping you would return." It was then that I realized that in my hurry to get up and see her, I'd left the backpack back in the car. Cursing, I told her I'd be right back. "Wait! Leave it." She interjected, after insisting I explained to her what I was doing. "It is safer this way." Before I could ask what she meant, a doctor entered the room. The cover story of being friends held through, mainly due to the cyclist backing it flawlessly.

"Well," The man seemed relieved, putting a hand up to his balding head the fetch the pen that was behind his ear. "Annika has been treated for any serious injuries sustained during both incidents; there is no reason to keep her here any longer. We've been searching for close family to watch her for a couple of days while she recovers from her injuries, but so far we've come up empty-handed." No relatives? Perhaps she was from a different country and was the first to venture away from home. I hoped that was the case, and not something much worse. Before I knew what I was saying, I was volunteering myself as a temporary guardian.

"No," Annika sat up quickly, causing the doctor to frown. She herself seemed to quickly regret that decision, wincing and lowering herself back onto the pillows. "It is not safe."

"The police have apprehended the men and women who were here today." The doctor softly said, almost reminding the young woman of something he had said multiple times already.

"If it makes you more comfortable, we can return to your building." Probably not the wisest decision. For all I knew, this was an elaborate setup to get me kidnapped or killed. That's how it usually went in the movies. All paranoia aside though, I really needed to help this woman, to make up for even just a fraction of what I'd done. I still felt awful about hitting her with my car and to think that it had made her vulnerable to assault…

"Fine." Echoing her earlier sentiments. The doctor explained to me that the most serious injury that Ms. Hansen had sustained was a broken tibia, although she had also sprained her left wrist during the fall and required several stitches for some of the more serious glass wounds. Fortunately, the second attack had resulted in nothing more than a few cracked ribs and some defensive wounds on the hands. Mostly, the doctor just wanted to make sure that Annika was off her feet for the next few days, until it was time for the cast, and doing so would require another party present. The cyclist appeared to be quite stubborn; there was no way she was going to stay off her feet without constant reminder and force. In fact she looked somewhat resentful in having to be rolled out of the hospital in a wheelchair.

"I know you have no reason to trust me, but-" I started, but was unable to finish.

"I trust you." Annika stared straight at me with her icy blue eyes. What reason did I give her to be so confident? I could be anyone. My driving certainly hadn't proved anything.

"Why?" All I'd done was put her in the hospital. I wouldn't trust me.

"You have not opened the bag." The backpack? I hadn't even thought to check what was inside.

"What's in the bag?" Now I was curious. Seven reached behind the seat and procured it, holding it carefully in her lap. She looked down at it now, as if deciding whether or not she should open it. Finally, she unzipped the backpack and held the flap down so that I could see the contents. It was filled with what looked like medications of some sort. "What is that." My eyes hardened, hoping I hadn't just assisted some sort of drug heist.

"Do not be alarmed, they are not exactly illegal." Somehow I didn't find that very reassuring. "The company I wor- used to work for is a private organization that manufactures these pills. I have discovered that their purpose is not so wholesome. I've decided to expose the business, but I needed proof. I was supposed to deliver these to a client, but I took off with them instead. I knew you would keep it safe."

"You left it here on purpose?" Anger and confusion welled up inside me. I felt like I had been used. "If that's what those people who attacked you were looking for, you could have gotten me killed!"

"I doubt it." I was about to interrogate her further, when suddenly Ms. Hansen shifted uncomfortably in the seat. "If you do not wish to be involved, no more participation is necessary. You will not be connected to this."

"But the hospital-"

"The security footage has been destroyed." And she knew this with such certainty? "I have a partner." As if that clarified things at all.

"Why didn't they just come bail you out of the hospital then?"

"He is a minor." Ah. So legally he couldn't sign any of the forms. I wasn't sure how I felt about a kid being involved with whatever scheme Annika was working on, but that was a little out of my control. "He will be waiting at my residence." Without further delay, the cyclist directed her to her house, a shabby-looking thing on the other side of town. As we were approaching the entry, we both noticed that the door was wide open. Suspicious, considering all that had transpired. Our fears were confirmed when I pushed her inside; all the drawers and cabinets were wide open, contents scattered all over the place as if they'd been thrown.

"You don't look very concerned." I remarked, noting that the woman was looking over everything with a sort of casual disinterest.

"No. Everything went according to plan." Annika explained, "My partner led them back here, first hiding a stash of placebos for them to find. When they thought they had obtained what I had stolen, they were no longer concerned with me. Without proof, it would not matter if I were to 'talk', so to speak. I pose no further threat to them personally." It certainly did sound like an elaborate plan.

"I still don't feel very safe about leaving you here. You'd better come back to my place."

"I assumed that was all a part of the cover story." The woman scoffed, looking surprised for once. "There is no need for you to continue the lie. Thank you for assisting us." Now she was _thanking_ me?

"You may have thought it was all just to get you out of there, but I wasn't kidding around." I leaned against the doorway now, trying to look imposing. "I'll help you gather up your things and then both you and your partner are going to lay low at my place for a little while." I wasn't sure how long it would take to 'expose' this corporation, if they were even capable of doing so. But hopefully after that was accomplished, they'd get some sort of witness protection deal that would do more for them than I ever could. "This whole thing is my fault. If only I hadn't been so careless, you would have made it out of there without trouble." I felt the guilt start to eat way at me again.

"It is not your fault." Annika looked away then, as if troubled herself.

"What do you mean, of course it is!"

"I steered myself into your car." She still wouldn't meet my gaze. Stunned, I was unable to immediately say anything. I asked her why she would do that, though I still didn't completely believe her. "The plan hinged on them thinking they had me beat, out of the way. I would not have been able to outrun them for very long. So I rode along until I found a car that seemed right and then put myself at risk." She was crazy! There was no other explanation. Maybe the cyclist had taken a couple of the drugs herself. "So while you might think that I have been rather unlucky today, the opposite is actually true."

"She won't believe you." A male voice coming from one of the rooms caused me to jump. A boy, probably in his late teens, emerged. I assumed this to be the 'partner' that Ms. Hansen constantly referred to.

"It does not matter if she believes me or not." Annika insisted, "It does not change the facts." The young man and I stared at each other for a moment, sizing each other up.

"I'm Kathryn." I finally introduced, offering a hand.

"Icheb." The boy countered, not taking the appendage. Awkwardly, I retracted the offer. "We'd better get moving." He turned around and went back into the room he came out of.

"Due to the nature of our situation, my brother is highly suspicious of strangers." Annika explained, leading me to an opposite door. Brother? They looked nothing alike. Yet, there was something about the way they carried themselves, their attitudes and demeanor, that allowed me to see that they were actually quite similar. The woman didn't have an inordinate amount of possessions. I was able to easily load everything important to both her and Icheb into my car. Not much longer after that, we were pulling up the drive to my own moderately-large sized home. I didn't like to show it off much, but I was a higher-ranking member of my office which did come with a bigger salary. There would be plenty of room for everyone. Of course, my home _was_ two-stories and I'd have to confine Annika to the lower level until she had the cast and was adept at crutches. I gave her the guest bedroom on the lower floor and Icheb one up nearer to me. I got the sense that he preferred this anyways, being able to keep a closer eye on me.

"You'll have to excuse the mess; I don't usually have company." I didn't have time to entertain guests and I certainly didn't have the energy or effort to keep the place pristine just for myself. Thankfully, it was not as bad as I'd remembered. Sure, there were used coffee mugs in almost every room. And yeah, maybe there were a lot of shoes cluttering the stairwell. But it wasn't like there was trash everywhere, or that the place was dirty or unclean.

"The conditions are satisfactory." Annika assessed, sizing up the place. I wheeled her to the couch and made her sit while Icheb and I unloaded the car. It was only when I was standing by the stairs that I heard a scratching at the back door, accompanied by a series of low whines and cries.

"Oh…" I'd completely forgotten. "I hope you two are ok with dogs. Mine wants to come in." Annika looked indifferent and Icheb merely nodded. I unlatched the door to the backyard and I had opened the door barely an inch when Mollie came barreling in, leaping over to the guests before I had a chance to restrain her. Icheb got down on one knee and allowed himself to be licked, dutifully rubbing the Irish Setter's ears and neck. This turned her attentions away from the tall blonde, who looked a bit put off by the animal. After a couple of minutes of attention, Mollie tired and went to the kitchen to check her food bowl. I was one the same page. It had been a long day and I was sure that everyone was hungry. After everyone was settled, we gathered in the kitchen for a very late meal.

"How long have you been planning this… heist?" I asked, setting a pot on the stove to boil. Spaghetti. Spaghetti was easy and something everybody liked, right? We were definitely going to have to discuss meals, but that could come later.

"Four days." Annika answered.

" _Four?_ " I couldn't believe it. This was a scheme that should take _at least_ a week to iron out… where did they even learn all of this? Wiping security files, covering their tracks, fabricating evidence. "And how exactly to you suppose you're going to expose all of this? You can't just walk into a police station with a bag full of drugs and start making accusations."

"We have more than just the medications, but they are the key piece."

"And we have a connection." Icheb input, which the woman quickly nodded along to.

"But you're injured now, surely that will slow things down a bit." Whether or not I was actually responsible for her well-being, I wasn't about to let Annika counter the doctor's orders and risk hurting herself for some stupid mission. Though, I had a feeling she didn't much want to do much physical activity. The pain medication she'd been given at the hospital would be wearing off soon and I could imagine that even without standing on it, her leg would be hurting her. The ribs were an entirely different case altogether. The siblings looked once at each other, before turning back to look at me.

"The plan was for me to die. I failed in that aspect." And she really did make it sound like she thought she had failed. "It would have been easier for the authorities to come across the backpack, which includes digital copies of the other evidence, themselves. This second strategy is much harder, more complicated, and less likely to succeed. It does not, however, revolve around my performance."

"Hey, no." My voice softened now and I dropped what I was doing to give her my complete attention. "You did _not_ fail by not dying. You got lucky today; you must've had all your sevens lined up in a row."

"My what?" The woman frowned, confused.

"Sevens. You know, like a slot machine?" I was met with blank stares by the both of them. "You're over 21, Annika, haven't you ever been to a casino?" She shook her head no. "Well when you play slots, getting three sevens in a row means you hit the jackpot. It's very lucky."

"Why do they use that numeral?" Icheb inquired, seeming genuinely curious.

"I don't know, I guess just because the number seven is heavily associated with luck." This clearly wasn't a good enough answer for them, but I didn't have anything better to give. "Anyways, all I was saying is that you've been very fortunate today." I suppose if she was going to purposely get ran over anyways, it was better than she didn't die. I wasn't sure if that was something you could consider 'lucky' but it didn't seem like such a bad thing. The conversation died and we all ate our pasta in peace, content to just have a meal after the long day. Personally, I was just glad (and surprised) that I hadn't burnt anything. Maybe Annika really was lucky.

After we cleared the table, Icheb retired to his room. I suspected that he was going to try and get ahold of his contact, but he was very secretive about the whole thing and I figured it was best to just give him some privacy. I was tempted to also return to my own bedroom, but it was still early in the evening and I didn't want to leave the cyclist to her own devices. I sat her down on the couch, fetching her pillows and blankets despite her protests. Reluctantly, she allowed me to elevate her leg and then toss one of the fuzzier blankets over her form. Mollie came and settled at our feet, adding a sense of completeness that I hadn't felt for a long time. We settled on a movie, about spaceships and aliens and faraway planets. It was a little far-fetched and unrealistic for me, but Annika was captivated. I suppose the one redeeming quality was the cinematography; even if it was all just special effects, there was something so enchanting about images of stars and galaxies and landscapes of places I can never go. By the time the credits rolled, we were both yawning and ready for bed.

"Did you like the movie?" I asked, turning off the television.

"It was intriguing." The woman commented, "I find space very fascinating."

"So do I. But I guess that's why I married an astronaut." Though I'd said it as a joke, it still hurt. Even after all these years, I couldn't go unaffected by it.

"You are married?"

"Used to be. A couple of years ago, his rocket lost control of navigation systems and it took them beyond the reach of any space-faring vehicle; a rescue mission would have been impossible. I think it's still drifting out there." Well of course. That was kind of morbid though. I supposed one day we'd be able to retrieve the capsule. Hopefully not within my lifetime; that was not an experience that I wished to live through.

"That is unfortunate." Well… that certainly wasn't the response I was used to getting. Usually it was 'I'm sorry for your loss' or 'he's in a better place now' or even 'he died doing what he loved best' (although one could say I'm evidence of the contrary). Annika yawned again and I suggested we save idle chat for another day, a proposition the other woman readily accepted. Stiff from sitting in one position for so long, Ms. Hansen had a difficult time getting back into the wheelchair on her own. I helped her to the bedroom, making her promise to call me if she needed anything rather than fumble around for it herself. As I was leaving, I paused in the doorway and threw my head over my shoulder to say one last thing.

"Goodnight, Seven." Upon hearing my farewell, an amused expression spread across the woman's face. In the dim lighting, I could see the outline of stitches running along what was the worst cut, above her raised left brow. She didn't say anything against the nickname, so I made a note to continue to call her that. It fit her.

"Goodnight, Kathryn." It was as if we'd been friends for years already. Only when I had gotten ready for bed and was lying under the sheets with the light off did I remember the report.

* * *

 **A/N: this was meant as a standalone story, but I left a lot of potential for another chapter. one of these days I might continue it**


	2. Paperwork

**A/N: Thank you to those of you who followed/reviewed and encouraged me to continue!**

* * *

"Shit." I muttered to myself, sitting up in bed and rubbing my temple. There was a very exhausted part of me that was tempted to just say screw it and hope for the best, but I knew better than to fall into that trap. I hadn't moved up the ranks by being lazy and I certainly couldn't keep my position that way either. I'd just have to knock it out and worry about recharging some other time. I threw on my robe and a pair of slippers, then crept downstairs to boot up my laptop in the kitchen. I had just spread the necessary papers out over the table when I heard a soft thump and a couple of minutes later, the squeaky opening of a door. Before I knew it, Annika had come wheeling through the doorway, a curious squint on her still half-asleep face. She wore silky silver pajamas that seemed to shine in the dim lighting, illuminating the contours of her face. It was also the first time I'd seen her with her hair down, crimped and curling around her narrow shoulders.

"Go back to bed." I urged, thinking I'd probably woken her up when I had come down the stairs.

"What are you doing?" Completely ignoring my request, she came over to the table. Although I knew Annika was quite tall, this position gave her the illusion of a small child. Her chest barely rose above the edge of the kitchen table, spine straightening to elevate herself as much as possible. I offered to help her into one of the dining room chairs, but she swiftly declined. Annika repeated her question then and I realized it would seem rude to avoid the subject any longer.

"Just some work stuff I forgot about." It wasn't like she probably cared about the details, if she would even understand them in the first place. Not that it was technical really, but those outside the business tended to get lost fairly quickly. "It's due tomorrow morning."

"I will assist you." Without even a second thought.

"Help me?" I snorted, "No, no, you just get some rest and we'll talk in the morning." But still Ms. Hansen insisted, grabbing some of the papers that I'd carefully organized. "Just-"

"Kathryn." She cut off my request this time, "Please." I realized then that there would be no dissuading her. In the sort time that I'd known the woman, I'd gathered that she was just about as stubborn as I was. We could argue about this all night, or one of us could just give in and get on with the abundance of work that needed to be done.

"Fine." I sighed, pushing her more of the data charts. "Put these in order for me." The young woman then asked me for a pen and a piece of paper, which I fetched even though I couldn't imagine what she needed them for. We worked in silence for a while, before Annika finally announced that she had finished and handed me back the stack of papers. On top was a handwritten summary, analysis of the data, and suggested interpretation. "Seven!" Of course I'd known she was doing _something_ extra, but I hadn't been prepared for such an elaborate response.

"I hope it is of satisfactory quality."

"It's above and beyond everything I asked for." When I was through reading all Annika had written, I sat back in my chair. I'd clearly underestimated the woman's intelligence; what she'd given me was expertly done and most likely beyond anything I could have done myself, although I was unwilling to admit it. She hadn't even used a calculator, which is what I found most impressive. I continued to stare at it, wondering if maybe I'd accidentally fallen asleep the first time and was locked in some sort of dream. "This is unbelievable, thank you." Instead of saying anything, the woman simply reached for the another stack and got to work creating another analysis. I found myself quickly slipping into the role of the scribe, barely able to transfer everything into computerized form before she had finished another piece of the report. We were done in record time with a more complete final report than I'd ever assembled. I sent it through to the printer, finger absently tracing some of the letters on a paper in front of me. "This is perfect."

"Hardly." Annika snorted, "But it shall suffice." Her responses never ceased to surprise me. The young woman handed me back the papers she'd borrowed, all organized perfectly. I thanked her again, and then wheeled her back to her bedroom. As I gave my support in her venture back into bed, I couldn't help but marvel at how soft the fabric of her garments were.

"Where did you get these nightclothes?" I wasn't much one for luxury, but I could still appreciate a fine product when I saw one.

"My mother gave them to me as a Christmas present." The young woman suddenly looked very self-conscious, pulling the covers up over her chest although she remained upright on the mattress. "Although I rarely saw my parents, they somehow managed to give my brother and I exactly what we wanted. At the time." Alright. I wasn't going to explore that avenue, no matter how tempting it may be. It was much too early in the morning to uncover deep family secrets.

"Well, they're lovely." Despite my compliment, Annika still looked unsettled. For the second time that night, I said goodnight and softly closed the door. Crawling back to my own room, I collapsed on the bed, falling asleep right on top of the covers. The alarm blared much too soon, startling me back into the world of the living. Groaning, I rolled over and waited for Mollie to jump up on the bed, like she always did whenever she heard the tone. There wasn't so much as a tail thump against the floor. Sitting up now, I saw that the bedroom door was open just wide enough for a slim Irish Setter to squeeze through. The dog must've escaped, but why? It was then that I remembered the guests. Traitor. Shaking my head, I dragged myself to the shower so I could get the day started. When I descended the stairs a good half an hour later, I saw Icheb sitting on the couch with the television on. He wasn't alone.

"Mollie isn't allowed on the couch." The dog looked up upon hearing her name, but made no movement to pull herself away from the boy.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know." Icheb apologized, "She followed me when she heard me leave my room." Mollie had never so much as _tried_ to jump up there before, I was a little surprised that she'd do it now, unless Icheb had made her (which was also doubtful). "Down." He commanded to the dog, who whined once and then dutifully removed herself from the piece of furniture. It was only then she came to greet me, tail wagging slowly.

"Did you feed her already?"

"No, I didn't know how much you normally give." Icheb came with me as I went to go fill Mollie's bowl, watching as I scooped the dry kibble from the bag under the counter.

"She listens to you." I idly commented, placing the bowl down on the floor. "It's not very often that she will follow a stranger's commands. Do you have a lot of experience?" The question sounded dumb, something I realized only after I'd asked it. This wasn't a job interview. Thankfully, Icheb continued on the conversations as if it were normal.

"I used to have a dog. We had to give her to the neighbors a couple of days ago because we were afraid of what the company would do if they found her." I assumed he was referring to the men who had broken into the house. It was a wise move, but still tough. I'd lost pets before, I couldn't even imagine what it must be like to have to give one up willingly.

"What breed?"

"Golden retriever." For some reason, this surprised me. I had been expecting a more… ferocious kind of animal. Or maybe even something small, weak and unable to protect itself. "She used to follow Annika around everywhere…" Well, that would certainly explain the woman's cold demeanor towards my own pet. Mollie reminded her of what she had lost.

"Speaking of your sister, is she awake?" In response, Icheb just shrugged. "Well I've got to leave for work soon, I'll make us some eggs but if she is hungry later there's cereal in the cabinet." To be honest, I was a little surprised that Icheb was the one who was awake. Didn't kids his age, especially boys, like to sleep half the day away? I'd always been an early riser though, so maybe he was too. "There's food in the refrigerator for lunch; help yourselves."

"Thank you."

"Don't leave the house. If you need me-"

"Ms. Janeway." The young man cut me off, "We'll be fine. We can take care of ourselves."

"Of course." I hadn't meant to suggest otherwise… I suppose I just felt responsible for their safety. If something happened while they were under my protection I'd never forgive myself. "Sorry. No offense." He _was_ still a kid, after all. If I had to guess, I'd have to place his age around seventeen.

"None taken." The conversation died out, leading to an awkward silence as I prepared our breakfast. I scrambled the eggs, to which Icheb offered no objection. I asked if he wanted any seasoning for them (I take mine with a fair amount of salt, an unfortunate habit I'd carried since childhood) but the offer was declined politely. He did, however, take an interest in the orange juice and I made a note to stop by the store after work and pick up more food. I was terrible at cooking, but I felt I at least had to try. Not long after that, I gathered up my things and triple-checked that I had the report, then left. When I was stopped at a light, I noticed that there were of course still bloodstains in the passenger seat, and a few pieces of glass glinted from the carpet. Unfortunate reminders of what had transpired… only a day ago? Had it really been so soon? I could have sworn it had been at least a week, but no. It was around this time yesterday that it all started. Thankfully, I made it to work with no further incidents.

The peace wouldn't last. I could hear the argument before I even fully stepped out of the elevator. The other employees looked up at me from their desks, almost pleading me to end the nuisance. Quickly crossing the room, I headed straight for my office at the back. Standing inside were the two bickering men, who immediately hushed when they saw me entering the room. They knew me, and they knew I wouldn't stand for such nonsense.

"What the hell is going on here?" I growled, before either of them could speak. "One of you better have a good explanation for this."

"Tom thinks he has a great idea for a new story." Chakotay leaned on my desk.

"So what's the problem?" Oh, I was pretty sure I knew the problem. One of them didn't like the topic the other was going to write about. I got this a couple times a month, if not once or twice a week. It was completely unnecessary, especially since we sometimes had to scrape the bottom of the barrel just to get enough stories to sell a full paper.

"He won't approve it!" The younger man crossed his arms, giving my second-in-command an icy glare. The policy at our building was that all new projects had to be signed off on by a manager before moving forward, just to make sure that nobody else was already covering it. The manager had the power to veto the story, which was the case here. If the decision was contested, the supervisor had to deal with it. It wasn't exactly conventional, but the chain of command had served our company well for decades.

"You both know the protocol for this." It was much too early to be dealing with this. And they'd both done it enough times, to the point where I was beginning to suspect they were doing it on purpose. "Tom, compile a project summary and have it in my inbox by two. Chakotay, go make sure you're ready for our meeting. Now, where's that intern? I need coffee." I'd been so preoccupied this morning with Icheb that I'd forgotten to make my own. It was the first time in a _very_ long time that'd happened and I wasn't exactly proud.

"What intern? Our most recent one left three weeks ago and you've rejected every new job offer we've gotten."

"Never mind then." How hard would it have been just to _politely_ inform me that we didn't have one at the moment? "Dismissed." The two men stared at me for a moment, before quickly scrambling out of the office without another word. I could only hope that this 'new project' was something worth fighting over.

Before I knew it, it was time for the big meeting and the pressure was on. I proudly displayed the report that Annika and I had written in the early hours of the morning. The executives were extremely impressed with what I'd (well… we'd) come up with and were in high spirits, easing the tension that had been built up since the argument this morning. The mood lasted long into the afternoon, even when Tom came by to drop off the outline of the new project he wanted to start. Because I wasn't doing anything, I decided to evaluate the idea on the spot. I noticed that Chakotay was hovering nearby, probably waiting to see my reaction. I began skimming the paragraphs, looking for any keywords that might automatically reject it. A few other words caught my eye, but for a different reason.

"Where did you get this?" I looked up at Tom, who was anxiously shifting around by the doorway, ready to dash in case his idea was vetoed.

"Oh, um..." I couldn't tell if he was stumbling because he was nervous or because he was trying to quickly come up with something to say. Usually he was fairly quick on his feet, so to speak, so it was impossible to decide. "A friend of mine suggested it."

"Really?" Somehow, I didn't quite buy into that. But what did it matter where it came from, as long as it was accurate? I saw Chakotay smirking from the water cooler, probably thinking that I was about to throw Tom's idea in the trash. "And how long do you think it'll take for you to gather all of the necessary points; it sounds like it'll take quite extensive research."

"I just need a couple interviews, maybe a bit of fact-checking." The man was getting more excited now, sensing that I was interested. "We could have it ready by Saturday, maybe even Sunday if you think the story is sellable enough." I looked at the summary again, weighing the possibilities.

"Let's see what we can get, and then see how it goes from there. I want you to work close with me on this one. Keep it quiet; god knows we don't need it leaking out before it's ready."

"You shouldn't take this one, Kathryn." Chakotay burst in, apparently not able to help himself any longer.

"And why not?" My tolerance was already riding low. Who was he to tell me what I could and could not do with my division? It actually made me a little more determined to get the proposition approved.

"This story would ruin us." The man's eyes darkened, "If we publish something like this, we'll lose all credibility. Nobody will believe what we run."

"Give me some credit." Tom threw his arms up, "You think I can't write a convincing story? I'm one of the best you've got!"

"It's not that," Chakotay argued, turning towards Tom now. "It's taken us years to build up trust with businesses like these. If we go about 'exposing' all of their little secrets- and we know they all have them, we'll lose business. Potential stories will drop away; we'll lose contacts left and right. Don't get me wrong, I think this would make a great piece. But I'm just looking out for the company." I didn't want to know how many potentially great stories he'd let go because he was 'just looking out for the company'. Those words could be the death of us, if he didn't watch himself.

"I appreciate your concern." Really, I did. It was nice to know that there were employees who looked towards the future of the business. "But in this case, I'm going to have to disagree. We're moving ahead with this one, whatever the consequences may be." And there would be consequences. There always were. Sometimes it was backlash on social media, sometimes it was angry phone calls or hate mail. But there were also a lot of good responses that frequently came in and in this case, I was fairly confident that they would outweigh the negative ones.

"You're making a big mistake." He looked like he wanted to break something, but thankfully he was able to restrain himself. Chakotay gave us both a lingering glare, before exiting the office.

"Jeez, talk about issues." Tom laughed nervously. "He's probably just jealous that I'm the one who landed the job."

"I don't know about that." Whatever conflicts existed between the two men were not my problem and I really didn't have the time or energy to get involved. I wasn't about to pick a side. "But if you want to get that story going, call that 'friend' of yours back and start gathering everything you've got."

"Yes Ma'am." One last grin, and then he too left the small room. There was still time to change my mind, even if it meant stopping in the middle of the project. I figured nothing was final yet, but I had a feeling my opinion wasn't going to waver.

I was eager to get home to my guests, which made the rest of the day pass by slowly. Thankfully it went without any further arguments or drama, although everyone on the floor could feel Tom and Chakotay's unspoken anger, a sort of tension that suffocated the room. Unfortunately, this was something that wasn't going to go away until the story was published and the consequences had been paid. There was nothing I could really even do about it unless it got out of hand, which I doubted it would. Not even these two yahoos would resort to anything physical. On my way out of the building, I saw Tom leaning over the counter at the reception desk. Everyone at the office suspected that the two had a thing going, which ordinarily wouldn't be a problem but in this case had me a bit concerned. I could only hope that the man would be able to stick to what I'd asked and keep the new project between the two of us. It wasn't that I didn't trust Anna, the receptionist, but the room was full of people who might overhear something they shouldn't.

I stopped for some groceries, a bit proud of myself that I'd remembered. I had done quite a bit of thinking about what it is that a teenager would like to eat, eventually deciding that it was probably pretty similar to my usual diet. Following this, I bought a box of hot pockets and a jar of Nutella for sandwiches along with the usual list. When I returned home, I was met at the door by a flash of orange fur. Pushing Mollie out of the way, I entered through the garage door and found Icheb at the kitchen table, furiously scribbling notes on pieces of paper. He barely glanced up as I entered, apparently trying to stay focused on whatever he was working on. I needed to talk to him, but that could come later. There was someone else I wanted to check in on first. After putting away the groceries, I circled the other rooms to find the other guest. I found her at my computer, browsing through internet web pages I could not immediately identify. Annika scrolled up and I saw the logo of the newspaper printing company I worked for.

"Doing some research?" I asked, causing her to jump and quickly look up with a start.

"Just reading the news." Annika corrected, although that was unlikely as she didn't have any of the articles actually open. "How was work?" I noticed the way that she quickly changed the subject, but didn't press the matter.

"Not bad." I wasn't about to retell the entirety of the drama; it was unlikely that she even cared. "The report went over very well, thanks again for helping me with that." She gave a small nod in response. "What did you do all afternoon?"

"Nothing of significant importance." She was still evading my questions. "Icheb and I are preparing to move forward with our plan."

"Oh?" I cocked an eyebrow, "Don't reveal anything to me, that'll make me a conspirator." It was meant as a joke, but Annika's solemn stare told me she interpreted differently. "Well, good luck with that. I'm going to put on my show, I'll be in the family room if you need me." The young woman turned back to the computer, opening up a new tab. I didn't stick around to see what it was that she did next. My soap opera was a guilty pleasure of mine, and not something that I'd readily admit. However, I felt a bit more at ease with these people, seeing as how they _were_ living with me now. I managed to get through a good half of it guilt-free before Annika came wheeling into the room. I could feel her analyzing the program choice, picking apart the strange characters and motives. "Oh, you probably won't like this-" I fumbled quickly for the remote.

"Leave it." She insisted, moving her hands to her lap as an indication that she was going to stay put. I did as she requested, although I was worried what she'd say (and what she'd think of me for liking it) after the episode finished. The episode of course ended on a cliffhanger, albeit a poor one. "Is there more?"

"A new episode comes out every day. I don't have any others taped, but you can probably go back and find the old ones online." I explained, wondering if she'd actually enjoyed it. Still, I felt defensive about the subject. "It's over-exaggerated of course, but it's supposed to be unrealistic."

"It explores the depths of humanity." Annika's eyes were still glued to the screen, although the playback had already stopped. Alrighty then. Not even going to ask about that one.

There was a strange scratching at the front door, which sent Mollie into an excited frenzy. She yapped and dove for the door, barking at the thick wood. I thought it might just be a salesman, but this was quickly proven not to be the case when whatever was on the other side barked back. Seven and I stared at one another, before I leapt up and headed over to investigate.

"Get back, get back." I muttered, pulling Mollie away from the door enough so that I could open it a crack. On my porch was another dog, huffing as if it'd just run a long distance. It wagged its tail franticly when it saw me, pawing at the screen. "Where did you come from?" I felt a presence behind me and scooted over enough so that Icheb could get a look at the canine.

"Naomi!" His voice was a mixture of shock and disbelief. Before I could even get a word out, Icheb was unlatching the screen door and letting the golden retriever in. I couldn't tell who was more excited; Icheb or Mollie. I had to grab my own dog's collar to hold her back while Icheb reunited with what I presumed was the dog he'd told me about earlier this morning. "How did she find us?" That was beyond me. We'd all heard stories about dogs who traveled for miles to find his or her owners again, but to be honest I'd never really bought into the whole thing. Clearly this proved me wrong. The puppy (she couldn't be more than a year old, judging by her size and energy) bounded into the family room and jumped full-force into Annika's lap. The young woman had to grab the wheels of her chair to prevent herself from tipping or rolling. I wish I'd had my camera; it was the first time I'd ever seen Annika smile. She wiped at her eyes a little and I assumed this was more than just an allergic reaction. Naomi finally settled down in the woman's lap, even though she was clearly too large to do so. I released my hold on the squirming Mollie, who quickly befriended Naomi. The two started running about the house barking and knocking into chairs. It was all I could do to force them into the backyard, to prevent any damage being done to the furniture.

"Seven, are you alright?" I approached the young woman, who was brushing dog hair off her dark clothing.

"Yes." The smile was gone but she was unable to hide the happiness in her voice.

"I have a feeling those two are going to be a lot of trouble," My eyes drifted to the slider door, where I could see the dogs circling the yard. "But Naomi is welcome here as long as you are."

"Thank you." Icheb joined us, coming to stand beside his sister. "We appreciate what you have done for us."

"Don't thank me until this is all over with." I warned, not wanting to celebrate too early. There was still a lot for them to get done and many opportunities for things to go wrong. "Now. Icheb, I want you to send out your evidence to your contact in waves, or chunks."

"Why?"

"Because I know Tom Paris and I know he'll get overwhelmed if you give it all to him at once."

* * *

 **A/N: Alright, I'll be the first to admit that this chapter was mostly filler... but half the fun of a modern AU is the domestic life,** **at least to me haha**


	3. The Calm

" _Because I know Tom Paris and I know he'll get overwhelmed if you give it all to him at once."_

Neither Annika nor Icheb appeared to be particularly surprised that I'd discovered my own role in this. I had to admit, I was impressed with the scheme they'd woven and I was even more impressed that I'd managed to stick myself right in the middle of it (and without even really trying).

"How did you decide to use my company?" I asked, "Or was it all just a coincidence?" The pair looked at each other, most likely deciding how much they should tell me.

"Yesterday you left me alone in your car." It hadn't been more than a couple of minutes, when I'd went back to fetch her bicycle. I should have suspected as much, but she hadn't seemed like that kind of person. Annika could have robbed me blind and I never would have known. "I saw your identification badge." Maybe she'd seen a lot more than that, but I knew she wasn't about to admit to going through my personal items. "From the hospital, Icheb and I decided that we would see how the situation played itself out. It has worked in our favor thus far."

"Ok but hold on," Don't even get me started on the thought of being used as means to an end. It had to be more than that. "Your contact: Tom. Surely you had to have found him beforehand. I mean he's a social guy but-"

"Our parents made many acquaintances around here." Icheb jumped in, "They knew his parents. He needed a story to jumpstart his dying career." Now, Tom may not be the most… hardworking or serious writer, but I'd hardly say his career was 'dying'. He got the job done and that was good enough for me. Clearly his family didn't share the same sentiments. I knew the Paris clan. All authors, the lot of them. I'd heard Tom once mention that they were displeased he wasn't following in their exact footsteps, even though his passion was similar. He said he just couldn't sit down and write one long novel and that was why he focused on reports and articles instead. Thankfully, my family had never been so imposing. Sure, I'd taken up the same business as my father, but it wasn't like they had forced me into it. "Does it matter how I get my contacts, as long as we have one?"

"Not really. And quit saying 'contact' would you? It makes us sound like operatives." I felt like I could relax a little now that everything was out in the open. The fewer secrets between us, the easier things would be. And not just on a professional level; I wanted to get to know the two of them better personally as well. Even though we'd grown much closer, it'd still been what… only two days since we'd known each other? If even that? "Are you guys ready for dinner?" Small nods. "Good; there's somewhere I'd like to take you. I'll feed the dogs and then we can go." It wasn't long before we'd piled into my car and were headed towards the restaurant I had in mind. "I hope you guys like international food."

"I have an open mind." The teen answered, looking to his sister. She tipped her head with agreement, but did not look as enthusiastic. Though, this was an 'emotion' that I was beginning to expect from the young woman. Annika was a private person who kept herself in check. I wondered if I couldn't break through some of that and find out who the woman really was under the cool exterior. For now, I'd have to settle with stiff answers and suspicious glances.

"Good. The cuisine here is a bit unusual, but it's my favorite hole-in-the-wall in the city." I pulled into the tight parking lot in the side street, away from the congested main roads. There were a few cars there, but it would hardly qualify as busy. That was one of my favorite things about the place; it was one of the few spots in the area that didn't feel too overcrowded and loud. I'd actually stumbled upon it by accident, when my car had broken down and my cell phone was coincidently dead. They'd had a phone I could use to call for a tow and had offered me a small snack while I waited. I'd immediately been enchanted by the quirky staff and the unusual delicacies. Ever since, it'd been my go-to place.

"The Mess Hall." Icheb read the name of the restaurant off the slightly lopsided sign, hand-painted in bright pink letters. A caricature of a sailor painted on cardboard guarded doorway with a friendly wave, greeting potential diners. About five neon signs reading 'open' were plastered about the windows and entryway, along with a poster taped to one of the front doors with the words 'Sorry, We're Open'.

" _This_ is where you wanted to go?" Seven looked around, clearly skeptical of the choice. I didn't blame her; we weren't exactly in the best neighborhood in town. And the décor was pretty tacky (maybe even outdated, but I thought it added to the charm).

"I've been coming here for years." I waved off her implications, stepping out of the car and going around to the trunk to get the wheelchair. "Sure it's a bit… eccentric, but it's not terrible." Once Annika was situated, we waltzed in through the double doors. Behind the counter was a cactus wearing sunglasses, a sailor hat, and nautical neck scarf. A sign on the counter in the shape of a word bubble urged any 'friends' to grab some menus and have a seat at a table. I made sure to usher my guests into my favorite booth. Seven and Icheb looked around at the walls, covered ceiling-to-floor in posters and road signs collected from places all around the world that the owner had visited during his many travels. Though it gave off a sort of messy vibe, the place was immaculate. From where we sat, I could have sworn I saw my reflection from the countertops all the way over at the bar. It wasn't long before our server came to greet us, bringing along with her a complimentary basket of kale chips.

"Good evening, Alicia." I warmly smiled, giving a nod to the girl. She was the sister of the restaurants' owner/head chef and had the same wild, untamed looks about her that seemed so in-place at the restaurant. Complete with an apron covered in multicolor squares and a yellow skirt that otherwise would have been a fashion disaster.

"Kathryn!" The server tossed some of her wild orange locks over her shoulder so she could get a better look at me. "It really is you! Haven't seen you around here in a while." I could only laugh; it was true that I hadn't gotten out in a while. Sometimes it was just easier to microwave something than drag myself out of the house. "And who are these lovely friends of yours?"

"My cousin's kids." I quickly lied, not wanting to have to explain the entire situation. "They wanted to see the city so I said I'd watch them for a while."

"How exciting. Make sure they don't give you too much trouble, it's the good-looking ones you have to watch out for." Alicia winked, although I wasn't sure who exactly the gesture was directed at. "I'll give you some space to look at the menu, just take your time!" She bounced away then, to attend to one of the other patrons. There were fewer people there than I remembered and I hoped the business was doing ok. I reminded myself that it _was_ only a Tuesday night, not usually a time most people went out to eat. I picked up the menu, suddenly lost in the tantalizing idea of getting to choose one of the many items that I enjoyed. Maybe that was a sign that I'd dined there too often. Once I'd made my decision, I asked my two guests if they needed any help finding something enjoyable.

"What is 'Leola root stew'?" Icheb asked. Just the thought of the item made me feel nauseous.

"Trust me on that one, just don't do it." I'd made that mistake once and only once. I wouldn't let Icheb fall prey to the same trick. That wasn't food, it couldn't be. No food could taste that bad. I'd noticed before that Icheb seemed quite fond of the spaghetti I'd made, claiming it to be one of his favorite foods. "Take a look at the Alfarian hair pasta, it's got quite a kick to it. Plus it comes with some sort of bread… I think it's called Loreschian pastry?" I pointed out its location on the menu, to which Icheb nodded and gave it a very close look. "What about you, Annika?"

"I am not sure yet." She continued to flip through the menu until the waitress returned, ready to pen our orders into her notebook. I decided on the special of the day; the roast thill. Icheb took my advice on the pasta, while Annika picked something I'm sure she thought was a little more 'normal': the mushroom soup.

"The recipe has been in our family for generations." Alicia boasted, pleased with the young woman's choice. She returned once more with our drinks, then left us in peace so we could chat before the food came. I noticed the siblings eyeing the greenery on the table uncertainly.

"Do you like kale?" I asked, picking up a piece and giving it a try. Each time I came they were flavored a bit differently. Today's basket was dusted with coconut and I wasn't sure that was a combination that went well, but I forced a couple of pieces down to be polite.

"Not usually." Despite this, Annika put a leaf in her mouth. Though she offered no verbal complaints, her face said it all. It was strange; the young woman had seemed like the kind of person who would be into the whole health fad thing. Had the biker persona been a real hobby of hers or had it all just been part of the scheme? When asked, Annika just shrugged. "I used to recreationally, but had not ridden in years." The bike had been in pretty good shape, plus it was adult sized. So surely it couldn't have been that long ago, unless she'd recently bought it or borrowed it from someone else. Obviously she wouldn't be riding it anytime soon, but I didn't mind it taking up space in the garage. Maybe I could convince her to let me go for a ride around the block; it might be fun to go for a spin after being off one for… a long time.

"What do you do for fun?" Icheb surprised me by taking the role of the interrogator.

"Well…" That was a good question. "I have a membership at a sports club, sometimes I go and play tennis with friends." It'd been a _long_ while since I'd done that… I made a mental note to schedule a match in the near future. I'd need to get back into it, but it would be nice to do that again. I used to enjoy other things as well; sculpting and metalwork were some of my favorites. But I'd gotten so busy with work and my adult life that I'd let that stuff slip away. What a shame. "What about you guys? Play any sports?"

"No." Annika answered, "Our parents preferred academic pursuits."

"I like puzzles." The younger sibling added.

"I might have a few back at the house, I'll get one out and you can do it tonight." Long-forgotten birthday gifts that hadn't been opened because I'd never had the time to put one together. We made small talk for a few minutes, until our food was delivered. Instead of Alicia, the server was the head chef and restaurant owner himself. "Neelix!" I offered out a hand and the man grabbed it readily. Instead of shaking, he used it to pull me out of the booth and into a tight embrace. I broke away, laughing lightly.

"It's so good to see you again!" He cheerfully clapped his hands together, eying my guests. "It's always nice to see new faces here as well." I made the introductions, but thankfully the chef made no attempt to get personal with either of them. "Enjoy the food and let me know if you need _anything_!" One last wave, and then he retreated back into the kitchen. Finally, we could focus on the steaming meals in front of us. Icheb wasted little time digging in, his eyes lighting up as the unique flavors in the sauce hit. Annika had the opposite reaction, suspiciously eying the thick soup in front of her and swirling her spoon through the creamy white broth. When she finally did take a taste, she seemed neither disgusted nor impressed. It was a forgivable response; the food here wasn't for everyone and even then it could take some getting used to. I was just happy that it got me out of having to cook.

After saying our goodbyes to both Alicia and Neelix, the three of us managed to duck out of the restaurant and make it back home in time to watch another movie before retiring to bed. I dug a 500-piece puzzle out of the back of one of my storage closets for Icheb. It was a picture of space or something, streaks of red and orange lighting up the black background. Though it looked difficult, I had every confidence in the teen's ability to complete it. By the time I'd returned downstairs, the pair had picked out a movie from the streaming service. I didn't recognize the title; later I learned this was because it was a documentary, pretty dry for my tastes but they seemed to enjoy it. I looked over to see how the kid was doing on the puzzle to find that he'd completed it and was leaning back in his chair, eyes glued to the screen.

"How'd you do that so fast?" I asked incredulously, checking the clock on the wall. It'd only been an hour since I'd given it to him and that didn't even confirm when it had been put together fully.

"I like puzzles." He repeated, shrugging. Now that the attention had been drawn to it, Icheb began taking it apart. It was almost a shame; the picture had been pretty and I would've liked to see it done for a little while longer. The young man promptly flipped all of the pieces over, revealing the chalky cardboard underneath. When I inquired about what he was doing, Icheb reported that it was more difficult to do that way. Ambitious. I liked that.

I knew it was starting to get late when Mollie came and sat by the couch, staring at me with those big brown eyes. I didn't let her upstairs during the day, in fear of her sticking her nose somewhere it didn't belong. But now she was anxious to get to her dog bed. The moment that the end credits rolled, I wasted little time wishing my guests goodnight. How late they stayed up was none of my business. As I sunk beneath the sheets, all I could think about was how early I'd have to get up the next morning. I'd have to clock in early so that I could get out early, to take Annika to the hospital to get her cast put on. Although she hadn't said anything to me about it, I knew she was excited to be able to move about more freely and on her own, rather than being tied down to the wheelchair. If it were up to her, she probably wouldn't even want crutches at all. But I wasn't going to allow that; I still felt responsible and fairly guilty about getting her into this situation in the first place.

I eventually just decided to text my crew and let them know that I wouldn't be coming in. Jeez, I couldn't even remember the last time I'd taken a day off. I was the boss; I deserved a little break every once in a while. Right? Well, at least that was what I was going to tell myself to relieve some of the guilt regarding my absence. They could do without me for one day. Even if it _did_ put Chakotay in charge and that didn't always go as smoothly as one would hope.

It was nice to be able to sleep in a bit, if even only for another hour. I was able to make breakfast, a delectable stack of pancakes made from the finest box kit. My guests seemed to appreciate the effort, even though Icheb had to scarf it down in order to make it to a call with Tom about the project. Before I knew it, it was almost time for Annika's appointment. Thankfully, we both managed to get ready in plenty of time so that I wouldn't have to resort to speedy driving… the reason we had to go to the hospital in the first place.

After helping Annika into the car for what was hopefully the last time, I began to drive to the hospital. It started out in silence, with my guest staring absently out the window at the buildings and people we passed by. I could tell something was on her mind, but didn't want to push her. Finally, she did speak her mind.

"Have you ever broken a bone before?"

"Somehow that was one thing I managed to avoid." I'd had some pretty close calls though. "I've taken a few sprains, that's it." She didn't say anything. I looked over, hoping to figure out what the question had been all about. "Why? Have you?"

"This is the first." Staring straight out the front window. Oh. Maybe she was nervous about getting the cast put on.

"Does it still hurt?"

"No." Could be a lie, but maybe not. Although she'd been given some pain medication, I'd never caught her taking any. From what I'd seen so far, Annika was not one to be hurt easily. While this didn't mean that she wasn't physically feeling any pain, I was glad that she was good enough at dealing with it.

"Hang in there, Seven." We were at a stoplight so I was able to turn and look her in the eye. The young woman held my gaze for only a few seconds, before turning to look back out the window without another word. The rest of the drive was thankfully short and before we knew it, were sitting in the waiting room with half a dozen other patients. The man who came out to greet us was the same one who'd treated Annika the day of the accident. I commented lightly on this, trying to make a joke out of it.

"It feels as though I never leave." He returned, laughing along with it. "What color would you like?" The doctor asked, pointing towards a display that showcased all of the available options. Because she didn't answer right away, the man tried to make some suggestions. "A lot of people pick the neon green-"

"Black."

"Are you sure?" He looked surprised. "The light blue is also a popular one." But the young woman's mind had already been made up. I was betting on the purple, but black didn't surprise me. It was less flashy and probably a lot less noticeable. The two of them left into a separate room while I flipped through trashy magazines in the waiting area. I knew that I probably should have been answering e-mails or at least something more productive, but there was time for that later. Weird. I'd never been much of a procrastinator, but it was nice to have a break.

A little while later, the doors opened and Annika hobbled through on crutches. It looked as though she was still having difficulty getting the hang of them, but I had no doubt that she'd be a quick learner. The doctor followed along behind her, offering some encouragement and praise before coming over to address me.

"Her wrist is still a bit swollen; you should've kept icing it at home… like I instructed." We both stole glances over at the blonde, who was avoiding making eye contact. I hadn't heard him assign the task, or else I would've made her do it. Why was she so resistant to getting better? "That cut above the eye looks like it might scar, but otherwise she's healing perfectly."

"That's good to hear." We still hadn't heard from the police about the attack, but it was relieving to know they hadn't done any real lasting damage. The most severe thing had been something that I'd done myself.

"I'll tell you what I told her; make sure she takes it easy. It may not hurt as much, but it's still healing." After a few more generic instructions, the doctor and I shook hands and Annika and I were allowed to be off on our way. The young woman was very determined to power through with the crutches, to the point where I was the one skipping to keep up with her and not the other way around. We stopped on the way home at a sandwich shop to grab some lunches to go. The rest of the meal was spent pushing the dogs out of our laps, but it was worth having the fresh ingredients (and again, minimal effort was almost worth it in itself). I finally had the time to read some of the books and magazine articles that had been piling up on my desk, even sneaking in some research on rival companies. Everything was going great until my phone buzzed, the ringtone signaling that it was someone from work.

"Janeway." I answered automatically, without even checking who the caller was.

"It's me, Chakotay." The man on the other end responded, "Aren't you the one who checks your e-mail every ten minutes?" He laughed, "I know you took the day off, but I have something you should look at. Management was so happy with your report last time they've decided they want you to do it for one of the other branches. I attached the data files."

"I'll see what I can do…" It wasn't high on my priorities at the moment, but I knew it really was important. "When do they want it?"

"As soon as possible, preferably tomorrow afternoon."

" _TOMORROW?"_ What did these people want from me? Just when I thought I managed to get away from the stress. It looked like I was going to have to recruit some extra help again. "Alright. Fine."

"How are you and Tom coming on that… story?"

"It's coming." I figured he was just making conversation at this point and didn't care about the little details at all. Besides, I still didn't think Chakotay was onboard with it being published. I didn't want him messing anything up. Not to say that I suspected him of sabotage just… I'd become so involved with this one that I couldn't let any piece of it go wrong. The less he knew, the better. "I'll talk to you tomorrow." There was a brief silence. "Chakotay?"

"Yeah. Take it easy." He hung up first. I didn't think much of it, but it was one of the weirder phone conversations we'd had. To be honest, I was more concerned with the report I had to compile within the next couple of hours. I tracked Annika down in front of the computer, where I had to interrupt her rigorous scrolling.

"Hey, Seven." I leaned against the desk, hoping to grab her attention. The young woman's eyes flicked once up at me, before returning to the screen. "So, work just called."

"Regarding the story?"

"No, thankfully that's fine." We couldn't afford any problems at this stage. "You know the report we made the other night? Or… morning I guess." She offered me nothing but a hard stare. "Corporate wants another one. Do you think you could give me a hand?" Annika stopped her work on the computer and finally turned to look at me now. "Unless you're busy or something…"

"No, I will assist you." She quickly closed out of whatever she was looking at and stood, shifting her weight onto her good leg. I hadn't meant that we were going to do it _right that instant_ , but I supposed it would be better just to get it over with so we could move on with our evening. I told her to go wait for me in the kitchen while I went to go print out the necessary supplies.

"Sorry for dragging you into this again." I laid out the papers on the table, settling down into my chair. Annika shrugged it off, saying that she actually enjoyed feeling useful. After about half an hour, I could feel the weight of the day starting to make me drowsy. It would be so easy just to walk up those stairs and into bed… "What I wouldn't give for a cup of coffee right now."

"If it is a matter of effort-"

"No, I just don't want to be up all night. Because I know I won't be able to stop at just one cup." The laughter that followed was mine alone. The young woman seemed to be too focused on the work at hand, a trait that was as admirable as anything. If everyone at the office had the same dedication, we'd be pumping out papers as thick as dictionaries. As I waited for her to finish with the stack she was scribbling away on, my brain got to running through the conversation I'd had with Chakotay that morning in the office. Specifically the one regarding the- "Annika?" Upon hearing her name, the woman paused and glanced up, waiting to hear what I wanted. "How would you feel about joining my team as an intern?"

* * *

 **A/N: things are progressing rather smoothly, it sure would be a shame if something were to... happen**


	4. Warning Signs

We were a bit late, but it was nothing to worry (or speed) about. As we drove in silence, I couldn't help thinking about how it was the same exact route I'd been taking on the day of the accident. This time, I was sure to obey all the rules of the road and checked my mirror probably a hundred times before making a lane change. If Annika noticed anything unusual about the way I was driving, she didn't comment on it. But I was beginning to expect that from her; if I wanted to know something, I'd have to ask directly.

"Nervous?" The first day on the job was always the worst. Meeting all of the new people, trying to figure out the routine, even just trying to memorize your timeclock number. A real mess.

"No." Almost as if she was offended that I'd asked.

"You'll do fine." I reassured, even though it was probably unnecessary. Outing a conspiracy and cycling into the side of a car took a lot more courage than operating a copy machine. Even so, I knew that it wasn't her area of expertise. Being able to do the calculations was one thing; working in an office environment was another. Mine was not a particularly hostile floor, but the members were fairly tight-knit and I wasn't sure how receptive they'd be towards a new member. It'd been over a year (probably longer actually) since we'd even had a new hire. I didn't anticipate any trouble, but I was going to keep an eye open for anyone who might give Annika a hard time.

As I had a management position, I had my own reserved space at the side of the building. When we got out of the car I noticed her looking up at the building and its many floors. I remembered how intimidating it'd been on my first day; it had all suddenly felt so real. Although there was a quick access door, I decided to take Annika through the main entrance so she could get a feel for the 'true experience'. The glass doors slid open easily and I stepped through, leading the young woman through the spacious lobby and past the men and women waiting in the clinical-looking chairs that lined the edges of the room. There were a few different desks that served different companies that resided in the building and I brought Annika to the one that had our company name bolded on the front of the white desk.

"Good morning." I greeted the receptionist, Anna, not even bothering to get out my own building badge; she knew who I was and I knew that she wouldn't check. The woman behind the counter nodded to me, before her eyes fell on Annika. "We're going to need a guest pass." Soon we'd need to get her a real identification badge, but I had decided that I'd give the young woman a day or so before committing her to the job fully. If she ended up not liking it, she could bail out without having to go through the mess of returning the badge and all that.

"Sure." Anna replied, voice unreadable. I couldn't remember ever using one of my guest passes before, so maybe that was what she thought was a little unusual. The receptionist handed Annika a clipboard with a piece of paper and a pen. "We just need some of you contact information." Standard procedure. Annika flew through the form fairly quickly, only hesitating when she got to the line that required an address. She glanced up at me, almost as if asking for permission. I nodded once, allowing her to continue on. It was then that Anna buzzed for security. "Tim, we have a guest pass. Can you come sign it off?" I hadn't realized it was such a process. Annika handed the clipboard back to the receptionist and I saw the woman behind the counter raise an eyebrow when she spied my address written down. We weren't close enough that she would have my street number memorized, but I'd hosted a company party or two. And I did live on the nicer end of town, which was somewhat uncommon enough to recognize.

"Coffee, nice thinking." I tried to break some of the tension and make conversation with the newly appeared security guard, who held a thermos in his hand. "I could use some of that."

"Tea, actually." His deep voice corrected. Tea? He had never struck me as that kind of person and honestly it was hard to even imagine someone choosing that as their morning refresher. I wouldn't hold it against him. Tim took the form from Anna, skimmed it, then gave his signature of approval. "Come with me, please." He directed Annika around the counter and was made to stand against the wall. Using a tripod and a digital camera he'd fished out from under the counter, Tim snapped a picture of Annika for her temporary identification badge. Her image actually turned out alright; I cringed every time I caught a glance of my own. It was even worse than my driver's license and even that was nothing to flash around.

"You're good to go." Anna waved us through the checkpoint. Tim followed us to the elevator, filing in after us. I'd known the man for as long as I had been with the company and although he didn't talk much, I felt like I could trust him. And not just because he was one of the head security guards at the building. The man was dedicated to his job and was always polite, but I could tell he was also very intelligent, just because of the way that he carried himself and the way that he let others do the talking.

"See you around." I called as he stepped off on the floor right under mine. He looked back once but didn't return the wishes. When we got to the right floor, I took Annika directly to my office so we could fill out some of the required paperwork and make the position somewhat official. I noticed some of the others spying on the proceedings from their desks, trying to piece together what she was doing there. Chakotay was the first to approach us directly, poking in right as Annika was signing off on the last of the documents.

"Good morning." He greeted, first to me and then his eyes lingering on the young woman.

"Chakotay, this is the new intern, Annika." I had been expecting the two to shake, or at least to say something to each other. The young woman glanced up momentarily at the man, but he didn't move an inch.

"I wasn't aware that you'd even interviewed anyone." He coolly showed his displeasure at my choice. "What agency did she come from?"

"She has all the qualifications." Avoiding the question, knowing that he could easily have her dismissed on a technicality if he wanted. He'd have to go over my head for that, but I wouldn't put it past him to try. "Consider it based on good recommendation." The best recommendation one could hope for.

"I'll remember that next time one of my nephews needs a job." A small, devious smile. If that was what it was going to take, I'd hire five of his friends. It wasn't like this was even a position where Annika was going to need specialized skills although I knew for a fact that certainly could perform any task anyone at this office would need to carry out. The only reason he was being difficult, taking it personally, was because I'd rejected all of the candidates that he'd suggested previously. "Meeting's at 11." He was gone before I could thank him for the reminder.

"Let's get you settled in then." I elected to just ignore what had transpired. She appeared to be in consensus. While Chakotay hadn't been rude exactly to her, he hadn't exactly been welcoming. I could only hope the rest of the crew would be a bit kinder. The two of us went over to a round table in the back, where a man was quietly stapling together and organizing printouts while Tom sat at the other end, eating a breakfast burrito. "Need an extra pair of hands?" I joked, breaking the working man's concentration.

"That's ok, I've got it." He hesitated now, staring at the papers as he tried to remember which stack he was on.

"Well, you're no longer the lowest man on the totem pole." Finally, the man finally looked up, his eyes instantly falling on the new hire at my side. A small gasp escaped his lips as he realized what I'd meant.

"Hi!" Quickly scrambling to his feet, "I'm Harry." The man extended an arm, shaking eagerly with Annika. "I'm an intern here, but hopefully I'll be picked up full-time soon. Somebody just has to leave first…" He shot a look across the table at Tom, who just snorted and made a 'don't look at me' face. Harry's waved it off, laughing a little. "Nah. I'm perfectly happy this way, but a promotion would be pretty nice." That's what they all say. "What about you? How long do you plan on being an intern here?" An unusual question… what was he trying to do, get a feel for the competition?

"I'm not interested in climbing the hierarchy." Annika replied, drawing some nervous laughter. I believed her, though. If she thought she had something to gain from it, maybe she would. But I had a sneaking suspicion that she'd depart from the company (both professionally and from mine) once the report was published.

"And I'm Tom." The other man in the area input, trying to edge himself back into focus.

"You are-" She started, though I didn't let her finish.

"-NOT supposed to take a break until you've done a couple hours of work first." I couldn't let it be known that Annika was working on the project, or even that I had connections to it besides the business. The young woman seemed to catch on to my cover-up and remained silent. Rolling his eyes, Tom tossed his garbage in the bin and pulled himself out of the chair.

"If you want a tour of the place or something, I'd be happy to show you around." Oh jeez. The funny thing was that he was probably the most trustworthy guy to let alone with her; he was the only one I knew for sure was committed to a relationship. Or at least I was sure enough for it to count.

"That won't be necessary." Annika's words seemed to catch Tom off guard and I reveled in that. It wasn't often that the man was put outside of his seemingly large comfort zone.

"Ok…" Edging away now, "Catch you later, then." One last smile and then he was heading back towards his desk.

"I was going to walk you around a bit more, introduce you to everyone." However, I no longer felt that was necessary. People would meet her as they came across her; I didn't want to risk anything getting out there. And it didn't seem that Annika was the social type who was dying to make contacts in the business anyways. I didn't want to shove people down her throat. "But since we're already here, why don't you just get started with Harry? I've got a meeting in an hour and a half and then after that's done we can go get some lunch." I hadn't even realized until after I'd said it how strange it would sound to Harry. The big boss going out to lunch with a new intern? Especially when I'd never dined one-on-one with him? I stood ready to correct myself, but the man only split his papers in half and invited the young woman to sit down. Good man.

I couldn't see their table from my office, but I could monitor the coming and goings of other office workers to that area. All of them appeared quite cordial. Why did I even care? I knew there was nothing to worry about; everyone here was on the same side whether they knew it or not. But after all the young woman had gone through in the past couple of days, I couldn't help but fear some sort of problem arising. Fortunately, and perhaps putting her nickname to the test, it never did. Soon I found myself practically sleeping through the routine briefing. As I was returning to the 'intern corner', I caught some of their conversation.

"What about Kathryn?" It was Annika's voice. I paused then, wanting to hear the response.

"Janeway? She's the captain of this ship." Harry answered, "And probably the best boss you'll have. Don't get me wrong, she can be tough at times… but it gets the job done." How flattering. If he ever wanted to push for a promotion, now would be the time. I didn't give him the opportunity to continue, stepping out into their view.

"Ready for a break?" I asked, to which she nodded and grabbed the crutches that were leaning against the table. "There's a café downstairs that sells sandwiches and stuff, otherwise there are a bunch of places outside the building." I'd like to claim that it was one of the few occasions when I hadn't brought my own lunch, but truth be told I was more familiar with the eateries in the area than I cared to admit.

"I have no preference." Downstairs it was then. Anna gave us a nod as we walked by, but made no movement to get up. Sometimes when I came down for lunch alone we'd eat together. I had a 'guest' with me though, so she probably just wanted to give us our space. Once we'd settled, I asked Annika what she thought of the work. "It's easy."

"I've never heard that one before." I laughed. Boring? Sure. But never 'too easy'. "I'm sure we can find something a bit more challenging for you to work on. Mr. Kim is quite adept with the stapler."

"He is an efficient employee." I agreed, but wasn't sure what else to say on the topic. I didn't know Harry very personally and to be honest, it wasn't something that was high on my priority list. The fact that he'd been with the company as long as he had though was a testament to his dedication to even the smallest of tasks. "I think he may be… romantically interested in me." I almost choked on my sandwich.

" _What_?" Had he said something to her? Oh, I could just-

"He asked me personal questions."

"What kind of questions?"

"Where I went to school, what my hobbies were, what kind of movies I enjoyed…"

"Oh." Relief washed over me. "Seven, he was just making conversation. That doesn't mean he's _not_ interested in you of course, but I wouldn't think anything of it." Harry would never be so forward or bold as to outright ask her out; that wasn't his style. Even with Tom, his closest friend in the office, they didn't hang out outside the office until months of casual conversation. This being said, I was curious about why the young woman had sounded so worried at the idea. Hadn't she ever made any friends at her prior jobs? I voiced my question, not sure of what kind of answer I'd receive.

"I'm not sure it would be a good idea to get… involved. At the moment." Annika stared down at the table, clearly embarrassed. She didn't want to talk about it. Fair enough.

"Let me know if anyone makes you feel uncomfortable." This wasn't anything worth getting worked up over, but it could just as easily have gone the other way. Annika gave a small nod, but mostly just continued to eat her lunch. I was about to launch into another subject when a kid about Icheb's age approached us from across the café.

"Hi, are you Kathryn Janeway?" He asked, not a hint of nervousness in his voice. Bold. Very interesting.

"I am." I curiously squinted, pressing him to introduce himself.

"I'm Quintin. Junior." The boy quickly amended, "You worked with my dad once or twice; he's a salesman?" The name was uncommon and fortunately so were men like his father. Slimy, unwilling to take 'no' for an answer. Professionally and personally.

"We've met." Only a handful of times, but it'd been enough.

"My term paper for my business class requires me to interview someone about what it's like to be a manager in a particular field… this is the one I drew out of the hat." How flattering. Oddly specific though. "I was wondering if we could possibly set up a time? It'll only take half an hour." I didn't really want to do it, but I'd been in his position once. I kind of owed it to the next generation to do at least a couple of these before I retired.

"I'll have to take a look at my schedule." I reached into my wallet and pulled out a business card. "Give me a call in about an hour and we'll set something up."

"Great." Quintin's face visibly brightened, "Thank you very much!" He dashed away without so much as a second glance. I glanced at my watch and noticed that the end of our very short lunch period was rapidly approaching. We spent the rest of our time discussing yesterday's episode of my soap opera, which mostly consisted of me defending the characters as she poked holes in all of their motives. Throughout the rest of my workday I kept a growing list on the side of my desk of arguments that'd boost my points next time we picked the discussion back up. It made the time pass rather quickly and before I knew it, it was time to go home. We wordlessly made our way down to my car.

"So? How was your fist day?" I finally broke the silence as we were pulling out of the parking lot. Not hearing much of a response, I looked over. Annika was staring out the window distantly. "I mean I know it's no science lab like you're used to-"

"It was fine." She finally cut in. "So many new people can be… overwhelming." I could understand that. Especially when many of the people in my business tended to be the chatty type. I supposed it was what made them good writers, but Annika was a scientist. Things were different.

"Well when we get home, let's take the dogs out for a walk." I suggested, "Sometimes when I'm stressed out a little fresh air can help." She didn't say anything but I could sense approval. It was also nice to just be able to walk around after being stuck inside the office all day. When we walked into the house we were greeted by a flurry of paws and tongues. I pushed through the dogs to find Icheb sitting glued to the computer, typing frantically. "Hey."

"Hello." He looked over his shoulder at me as if expecting me to say something more.

"Everything alright here?"

"Yes. I've been making a lot of progress on the project." I was hoping to get an update on anything other than something work-related, but this was fine too.

"We're going to take the d-o-g's to the park." I carefully crafted the sentence so that Mollie wouldn't pick up on any keywords and get excited before we were ready. "Do you want to come?"

"I still have some details I want to get through today." Turning back to the computer screen. "Maybe tomorrow."

"Alright. We won't be gone long." I went upstairs only momentarily in order to change out of my work clothes. I then went back down and dug one of Mollie's spare leashes out of a drawer in the kitchen. Upon seeing the object, the setter went into a frenzy, running laps around the kitchen and wagging her tail. Naomi didn't quite seem to understand what was going on, but hearing the other dog's barks got her excited as well. It was difficult to wrangle the leashes onto them, but not surprisingly we had little trouble coaxing them out the front door. Once she was outside, Mollie calmed down a little. Naomi was apprehensive, but tugged me along at a steady pace. I'd never tried to walk two dogs at once before and I decided then that I'd never do it again. Next time I'd enlist (or even force, if it came to that) Icheb to take one of the reigns and to help prevent them from getting all tangled together. It felt as though we had to stop every couple of steps just to unwind the two leashes.

Annika and I were just arriving at a nearby park when I felt my cell phone vibrate in my back pocket. I brought the pups to a stop, then handed the end of Mollie's leash off to Annika. I needed one hand free to view the message and my own dog was the one less likely to try and pull the young woman away. The number on the message wasn't in my contacts, which wasn't completely unusual. Sometimes people used their personal phones instead of the business ones and simply forgot to identify themselves. I clicked on the message and shielded my eyes from the sun so I could read it.

' _Cease all involvement immediately. Failure to comply will result in complications._ ' What the hell was that supposed to be, some sort of threat? I couldn't imagine who, of that nature, could've gotten ahold of my cell number. Honestly, the message didn't really even scare me. It was written very… formally, professionally almost. Someone actually dangerous would've thrown in a couple of direct threats, used less pleasant language. Right? This sounded computerized, like a machine or robot had sent it. Even so, I recognized the need to move ahead with our project at a quicker pace. I dialed my own home phone and waited for someone to pick up. It rang and rang, eventually redirecting me to the voicemail.

"Icheb, it's me." I urged, once the machine allowed me to start speaking.

"Kathryn." He immediately picked up, indicating that he'd been standing by to see who the person at the other end of the phone was before answering. I had caller ID, but I supposed he wanted to make sure, to confirm that it really was me before giving away his position. Very strategic.

"Send a copy of everything to Tom."

"Everything?" I was aware that Icheb wasn't quite done refining all the points and so far had stuck to the plan of handing over information in increments, but we were beginning to run out of time.

"You'll still be responsible for it of course." Not that Icheb seemed like the kind of guy to mind if he wasn't taking the lead on something. "We just need to go forward a bit quicker with this." There was a brief pause, as if he was wondering why I'd made such a seemingly random change of pace. No questions were asked.

"Understood. I'll do it immediately."

"Thank you, we'll be home soon." I noticed the way that Annika was looking curiously at me and I showed her the text message I'd received from the unknown number. "Do you think it's from the people you worked for?"

"Most definitely." She agreed.

"How do you think they got my number?" More of a curiosity than a question of their abilities.

"Your business cards have it printed on." That was something I hadn't considered. "Perhaps the visitor from lunch is the spy."

"Could be." I contemplated. That didn't seem likely; I'd made an appointment to speak with Quintin (Junior) in a couple of weeks. If he was planning anything, he probably would've pushed for an earlier meeting time. If the 'school project' was just a cover story, it'd be a pretty weak one. I made a mental note to contact the school he'd cited and make sure that all of the details were legit.

I wished this whole thing would blow over already. How could we live like this, always suspecting everybody was part of some elaborate scheme to prevent some secret report from coming out into the public gaze? I was still trying to wrap my head around the fact that it was, in fact, my real life and not some B-movie plot. The dogs were starting to get anxious again so I let them off leash on the grass and Annika and I found a bench to sit down on while the two of them played.

"After this is over, what are you going to do?" I asked, even though it didn't seem like the best time to be having the conversation. She didn't immediately answer. "Seven?"

"I've been looking at applying at a couple different places." Annika shrugged, "There is one in Washington-"

"Washington!" I couldn't help but interrupt, "What the hell is in Washington? I'm sure there are plenty of good companies closer to home."

"I would prefer to leave the area." Her face darkened and immediately I regretted saying anything at all. I didn't know much about her family (or her, really) but I doubted that they'd just abandon her and her brother… I didn't dare ask for the full story. There were likely many bad memories here in this town and it made sense that she'd want to get away from it all.

"What about Icheb?"

"He must resume homeschooling." Yeah, and who was going to be his teacher? Her? That didn't sound like a viable option, especially not if she planned on working all day at some lab. "There is a college fund for him; I anticipate he'll want to start somewhere small."

"Ok. Just… consider staying nearby. There are a lot of opportunities here as well." She didn't answer, but I took it as a 'yes'. Or at least a 'fine'. We sat there for a little while longer before I couldn't take the silence anymore and called for Mollie. She came trotting up to us, little Naomi hot on her heels. "Ready to go?" A small nod and then she was back up on her crutches. I hoped the distance wasn't too far; it was only a couple of blocks really but I'd never had to use the devices so I had no idea how hard it was to go even that distance. Annika hadn't complained but I doubted that she would even if she was tired or in any sort of pain.

We'd just turned around the corner of the last block and were about to cross the street when we noticed a dark van parked in my driveway. Both of us hesitated, wondering if we should proceed. I thought about calling the cops, but realized I had no proof that anything was wrong. And anyways, it would lead to trying to explain the whole situation and that wasn't something I wanted to get into. It was then that my front door burst open from the inside and two people, unidentifiable by their dark and baggy clothing, carried something outside.

"Icheb!" Annika hissed. I too was a bit concerned for the boy's safety. The two individuals turned to get the object into the van and I noticed it wasn't a priceless piece of furniture but rather the young man in question. We were too far away to see very clearly, but I could tell that he wasn't moving. Before I knew it, I'd handed the handles of the leashes off to Annika and was dashing towards my home like I'd never run in my life. I'd just reached the neighbor's yard when they started to pull out of the driveway. What was I even thinking? These men were dangerous and could possibly hurt me or even Icheb. However, they'd apparently gotten what they'd come for and merely sneered at me through their front windshield, smiling as if they thought they'd won the fight. Then they drove away at a pace much too casual, as if they weren't even worried.

"Fuck you!" I shouted after the van, even though I knew they couldn't hear me. "Damn it." I turned around to look at Annika and saw her getting back to her feet, brushing herself off. The dogs had broken out of her grip and were scrambling towards me. She now hobbled towards me, seeming otherwise uninjured. "I'm sorry." I wasn't fast enough. Annika stared off in the direction the van had gone. I took out my cell phone and dialed for the police. "Hello?" I jumped in before the dispatcher even finished addressing me, "There's been a kidnapping."

* * *

 **A/N: It's been a while since I've worked on this so there may be a few minor continuity errors. It should in no way affect the plot though :)**


End file.
